Public thoughts from the private sector

At the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said he wasn’t sure whether he would ask the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union to take a pay cut in the next round of contract negotiations.

But he was frank about the need to lower the cost of building cars in Canada.

“I sincerely hope we don’t have to get to that stage,” he said. “But you’ve got to make these factories competitive. It’s the only way we’re going to guarantee the long-term viability of this industry in Canada.”